Evaluation Issues in Autonomic Computing

Autonomic Computing is a concept that brings together many fields of computing with the purpose of creating computing systems that are reflective and self-adaptive. In this paper we draw upon our experience of this field to discuss how we can attempt to evaluate autonomic systems. By looking at the diverse systems that describe themselves as autonomic, we provide an introduction to the concepts of Autonomic Computing and describe some achievements that have already been made. We then discuss this work in terms of what is necessary to evaluate and compare such systems. We conclude with a definitive set of metrics, which we believe are useful to evaluate autonomicity.